Air-control valve



Patented July 17, i923.

LI Jru'rlzn .STATES 1,462,263 PATENT CFFICE.

LEE E. CHANEY, or 'SPEINGEIELDQCHIQ AssIGNoE To THE CHANEY IvIANUEACTUE- kING COMPANY, or SPRINGFIELD, orIIo, A CORPORATION or oIIIo. f

AIE-CONTROL vALvE.

Application filed November 12, 1920. sera1 No. 423,656'. y

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEE FfCI-IANEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springlield, in the county of Clarke and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Control Valves, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to air pressure control valves, and more particularly to an inflation apparatus having provision for the immediate and instantaneousrelease of back pressure, upon the closing of the supply valve.

' As is illustrated in the drawings the` in-A vention has been shown'applied to the blow-y ingV of glass articles, in this instance a thermometer bulb, but which is .obviously applicable to other purposes, wherein a kfluid under pressure is utilized as an operating medium.

The object of the inventionvis to simplify the structure as well as the means and mode of operation of such devices, whereby they willnot only be cheapened in construction, but will be more eflicient in use,lpositive in operation, automatic in action, easily con trolled and unlikely to get out of repair.

`A further obj ect of the invention is to provide an apparatus adaptable for the blowing of thermometer bulbs or other analogous operations, which will be compact, ecient and under instant control of the operator at all times.

lith the above primary and otherincidental objects in view as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention consists ofthe featuresofl construction, the parts and combinations thereof and the mode of operation or their equivalents as hereinafter described and set forth in the claims. d d

Referring to the drawings, wherein is shown the preferred, but obviously not the only form of embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is aside elevation of a blast burner and air connection, for heating the article, i'n this instance a thermometer bulb, to which the iiuid pressure is to be applied,to gether with the fluid pressure yconduit and control means.v Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view off the iiuid pressurecontrol valve, illustrating the fingery control. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of a modification of the cut-off valve for'the fluid underpressure.y

Fig. 4 is 'a top plan viewf illustrating the relation of the valve plunger and the vent passage. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of a modification. Like parts areindi'cated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

l/Vhile the present invention is capable of a wide range of application, wherein iiuid wunder pressure is employed, as for instance in blow torches for jewelers, gas or fluid the operator applying the tube to` his lips and blowing therethru, but a more practical method isto utilize air under pressure from a. suitable source of mechanical supply.y In such instances, the capillary tube is attached'to a iieXiblerubber tube or hose, thru 85 which the air supply is conducted. It has been found that in such operatiom'itisnot suflicient to merely cut, oif the air vsupply when the plastic end of the tube has been eX- panded to the desired degree, but it is necessary to instantly relieve the pressure within the tube. If this pressure is not released, but the supply merely cut off, the internal pressure within the plastic bulb will continue to expand the same,and the result will be variationsin the size of different bulbs depending uponthe degree of plasticity, at the time the air supply is cut off. `To this end the present apparatus embodies means for instantlyrelieving such back pressure. Two u way or release valves of 'mechanical construction have not been found satisfactory because of the momentary interval between the closing of the-supply ducts and the opcn-v ing of the release ducts, during which time the size of the plastic bulb has changed. The

present type of finger` control release -port is designed to overcome this difficulty. y

Referringto the'drawings, 1 is asupply conduit' for gaseous fuel andy 2 a ksimilar conduit for air or other expanding medium under pressure. In` theipresent instance a branchl conduit 3 leads from the air supply conduit 2, and projects thru the open end of a lateral conduit 1a of the supply conduit to apoint beyond theupright pipe 1. The lateral conduit 1n is reversed and carries at its extremity a burner head 4, comprising a sleeve having therein a packing or filling ofA steel wool, or other porous non-combustiblematerial. The discharge ot a jet of air under. pressure thru the lateral fuelV sup-ply conduit 1a affords a blast or blow torch etfectwhich produces a concentrated Allamel ot intense heat, which is projected from; the extremity of the burner head 4. The ther mometer tube to be treated is attached to a., length of flexible tubing or hose 6, with which the fluid pressure suppl)7 conduitl will communicate thru: a lateral. extension1 21,. which. carries a. control valve meclizuiism.y 7. from which the flexible tube` 6 leads laterally. This` control valve may be of anysuitable design` orconstruction. ln the drawing; ity has been shown as assembled trom standard pipe fittings. Secured. tothe lateral tension 2a, of the iuid. press-ure supply line, is an ordinary elbow 8, carrying a tapered. nipple 9, having; a reduced ori-tice 10, controlled by a ball valve 11. The ball Valve 11, will be ordinarily 'forced to its seat in the contracted end of the nipple 9` by the pressure of the fluid within the supply conduit.v The ball is held. in proximity to its. tapered seat adjacent tothe orilice 10, and prevented from falling' within the conduit in the event the air supply is decreased by means ot a transverse pin 12. extending thru the nipple 9. However in lieu of this. construction,y the ball valve 11 may be actuated toward its seat by means, ot a helical spring as shown in the detail view Fig. This spring 13, restinff upon the transverse pin 12 normally tends to hold the ball valve in closed position. in relation with the orifice 1,0 of the nipple independent ot` variations of the duid supply pressure. Screw threaded upon the upturned nipple is an ordinary T connection 14 to the lateral outlet of which the flexible hose 6 is connected. Screw threaded in thc top or uppermost outlet of the T connection 14 is a reducer or bushing 15. which forms a guide for a longitudinally movable. plunger or stem 16. The upper portion ot this stem 1.6` which extends thru the bushing or guide 15.y is preferably flattened or of polygonalv form. to afl'ord intermediate the plunger and the inner face of the bushing` 15, ample vent space 17 as particularly shown in detail view Fig. 4. The lower end of the plunger or stem 16 is of reduced diameter and projects thru the orificey 10 in the end of the nipple 9 where it engages the ball valve 11. The plunger stem 16 is of sutlicient length to project slightly above the level of the guide or bushing 15, when the balll valve. is seated. rEhe; plunger or steml is thus normally supported* upon the ball valve 11, and is tree for longitudinal movement or depression against the tension of the fluid undj'er pressure beneath the ball val-ve', and in the construction shown in Eig. 3., against the tension ot the retracting spring 13.

In. operation. the thermometer tube 5 is inserted in the end ot the flexible hose 6, and held within` the range of the flame ejected trom theA burner 4 untilv the extremity of thel glass tube is sufficiently; fused to become plastic. The opera-tor thenfplaces; a. finger upon`v the protruding'- extremity ot they plunger stem 16, depressing; the stem and. opening the port 1.0V by forcing-- the ball valve 11 downwardly. This depressing@ movement of, the operatorlsinger uponl the plunger 16. also. serves to close by mea-ns; of;

the linger, the relietl space or port 1 7 about theplunger;y and withinthe bushing' or guide 15. So. long asthe operator holds the plunger depressed, his finger will effectively close the outletport 1,7, andthe air under pressure or other operating fluid discharged thru the port 10 intothe. chamber of thel T connection 14,l passes. thence. thru the flexible tubi-ng: or hose 6 into the thermometer tube 5 and. serves. to expand the fused or plastic end of the tube t0 form the bulb 5. It is customary to. scale the size of the. bulb by insertingit within a gaat@ during;l the. blo-W-y ing opera-tion. The operator may control` the expansion of the plastic bulb. by admitting intermittent small charges of fluid; under pressure by momentarily de Dressing the valve plunger 16,y or he: may at mit an, ample initial charge sufficient to expand the bulb. and their immediately lift the finger from the control valve. vThe release ot' the valve plunger 16 by removal of the operators finger at the same time opens the relief port 17, about such plunger and the back pres. sure within the expanded bulb. is relieved instantly synchronously with the closing ot the valve 11. By this means the shutting oft' otthe air supply and. releaSe of' back pressure is effected in unison. and conse-` quently there is no intervening interval during which the plastic bulb may continue to swell under the influence of the entrapped air pressure. Instead ot employing a sepa* rate valve construction [torl the relief ot back pressure. the operators fingerperforms the function of retaining the pressure as long as pressure is desired and of relieving such pressure by the removal of the. finger from the apparatus. j

It has been found in, practice that. the presentconstruction enables the productionv of thermometer bulbs commercially in large quantities With great rapidity and with extreme accuracy; The. result achieved' in the manufacture of: thermometer tubes are also wherein an inflation operation or the dis-l charge of fluid under pressure is to be instantly arrested or the instant release of back pressure to be effected, or in which these results are to be attained simultaneously.

In lieu of using theoperators finger as a closure for the ventorifice there has been shown in Fig. '5, a modification, wherein a. spring, actuated valve stem 18 carries at its lower end a valve head 19, controlling the supply orifice, and at its upper end a valve head 20, controlling the vent orifice. By depressing the valvestem 18 by means of a finger 21, thesupply valve is opened and the vent valve closed. The supply valve is automatically closed and the vent simultaneously opened under the influenceof the spring 22 upon removal of finger pressure.

F rom the above `description'it will be apparent that there is thus provided a vdevice of the character described, possessing the particular features 'of advantage before` enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the principleinvolved or sacrificing any of its advantages. y

While in order to comply with the statute the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed comprise but one of several modes of putting the invention into effect, and the invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of t-he appended claims.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a construction of the character described, a chamber having a vent orifice, a

. control valve admitting fluid under pressure to said chamber, and a depressible valve operating plunger extending thru the vent orifice whereby the operators nger in del pressing the plunger will close the vent orifice and the removal of the operators finger to release the air pressure will open the vent orice.

2. A pressure chamber, having la vent orifice to be closed by the finger of the operator, a control valve admittingpressure to said chamber, and finger operated means for opening said valve manipulated by the applicationof the operators finger to the vent f orifice.

3. `In a construction of thecharacter described, a ypressure chamber having a nor-` f 4; In a construction of the character de-v scribed, a pressure chamber having ya vent orifice lnormally open to atmosphere and adapted to be closed by the application of the finger of vthe'operator, a control valve admitting Huid under pressure to said cham-` ber, and valve operating means located in such proximity to the vent orifice as to be operatively engaged by the finger ofthe operator in stoppingy said vent.

5. In a construction of the character described, a pressure chamber having therein an orifice normally open to atmosphere, a control valve admitting fluid under pressure to the chamber, a valve operating stem eX` tending within the orifice, said orifice and n thev stem being of different shapes whereby an escape passage will be afforded for the fluid under pressure thru the orifice beside the stem, said stem being adapted to be operated and the escape passage closed by the application of the operators finger. l

6. In a device for blowing thermometer bulbs and like operations, a supply of fluid under press-ure, a control valve therefor and a finger stopped relief portvfor backpressure.

7. In a device for blowing thermometer bulbs and like operations, a supplyconduit for fluid under pressure, a depressible control valve therefor, said conduit having therein a vent port normally open to atmosphere intermediate the. valveand the point of operation, said vent port being closable upon the depression of said valve.

In ktestimony whereof, I have hereunto loo set my hand rthis 5th day of November, A; D. y

LEE F. CHANEY.

Witnesses:

W. F. HEROLD, JOHN B. MoGRnw. 

